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Anne Lee
11-2-11, 10:09pm
Anyone doing a special observance for Advent? I know there are several weeks yet, but every year I get caught short. I want to have a wreath this year and need to start looking for candles now. For whatever reason, purple candles are hard to find.

I was also thinking of dipping into one of the 25 Books Every Christian Should Read. Maybe I should spend the next few weeks reading up on the first and second coming of Christ. My eschatology does not include "the rapture" but one way or the other, the world does end for each one of us. It's good to keep in mind.

goldensmom
11-2-11, 10:34pm
I will be doing the daily readings from 'Christmastide - Prayers for Advent through Epiphany' by Phyllis Tickle. Also re-reading the chapter about the birth of Jesus from 'Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes' by Kenneth Bailey (chapter available on books.google.com). Good time of year to re-group and re-focus.

Valley
11-2-11, 10:44pm
My husband and I will light the advent candles at dinner. My sons are grown and on their own, but I have continued the tradition. I love that it has always helped us focus on the true meaning of the holiday. We do very little gift giving any longer, but we do help educate two girls overseas...and that is our gift to each other. We buy each other a card that best expresses our feelings.

Tradd
11-2-11, 11:22pm
I try to get all my Christmas shopping (what little there is) done before my Advent (aka the Christmas Fast, the Orthodox begin Advent Nov. 15, 40 days before Christmas). That way I'm not doing any running around until it's time to buy special food items until right before Christmas.

Most years I will read a book, sometimes in conjunction with a group of friends via a Facebook virtual book club discussion. Usually it's a classic. I was thinking of (re)reading The Brothers Karamazov this Advent, but I'm swamped with a bunch of things going on in my life, so I'm going to lower my expectations this year and just try to read the Bible more. I've got a really good app on my Droid smart phone and my iPod Touch, called BibleReader from Olive Tree, so I've always got one of those on me, and I can read at work lunch, etc.

Stella
11-2-11, 11:55pm
I have a daily advent reflection book I'll use for prayer. I'm preparing for advent this year by taking a class on the new translation of the Roman Missal, which will be put into play at Advent this year. That's going to take some getting used to.

Heidi
11-3-11, 12:07am
Advent is my favorite time of the year, I like it better than Christmas itself. A time for introspection, contemplative readings, lighting candles on the Advent wreath, decorating the windows with greenery and votive candles, listening to instrumental Christmas music. A wonderful time. First Advent is November 27th this year, so I can get busy right after Thanksgiving. I like Scandinavian traditions for the holidays, so I use red candles for the wreath.

Stella
11-3-11, 10:03am
Heidi I love the advent wreath too. I am going to miss it this year as we'll be on the road a big portion of advent. Hmmm. Maybe we should still try to come up with some way of observing it while we're on the road. The children will miss the traditions.

Anne Lee
11-3-11, 11:22pm
Stella, I think observing it on the road would underscore its importance to your children. Even if it were just a candle that you lit on Sundays I bet the older children would remember that particular Advent. Perhaps reading from this book (Advent Storybook: 24 Stories to Share before Christmas (http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Storybook-Stories-Before-Christmas/dp/0735819637/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320376889&sr=1-1)) might add a certain note of observance without a lot of paraphenalia. If you look at the reviews, the comment under the 2 star review (not the 2 star review itself) might be helpful.

Zoebird
11-4-11, 5:55am
we do this in june, when it's winter. but it's not christian. it's just in addition to our other fires, i guess (we have a daily candle ritual before DS's bedtime).

a good place to get the candles is at the catholic bookshop. it's usually a 3 purple, 1 pink set.

domestic goddess
11-4-11, 6:01am
For many of us, Advent usually begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Once I found this out, it has made it easier for me to remember.
I think I would like to read one of the books on the list that was mentioned above. The book by Phyllis Tickle is actually included in her "The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime" (or something similar) which is one of a series of 3 prayer books. There are also Prayers for Spring and Prayers for Summer and The Night Offices. I use them all the time, as they are in easy to use format. I will be using those for Advent, and I think I will light candles. Every year I plan to make a wreath and never quite get there; maybe I will do it this year.
There is a book by Marcus Borg called "The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus", written with John Dominic Crossan, that I read several years ago, and think I will read again this year. I love to listen to Christmas music, and think I will get up close and personal with The Messiah. There is so much about Christmas that is really wonderful, and it is so easy to avoid the commercialism that isn't.

Zoebird
11-5-11, 2:01am
i love crossan's work. i'm gonna check out those prayer books too!

IshbelRobertson
11-5-11, 6:00am
As an agnostic who had a strong church upbringing, I always mark advent the way my family has always done - ie each window has an advent arch of candles which get lit on the First Sunday - and I make all my Christmas cakes, puddings and black bun on 'Stir Up Sunday'. No religious content to either - just family tradition!

Stella
11-5-11, 9:49am
Anne Lee that book looks like it would be a great one for our trip! Thanks for the suggestion. I do think it's good to show them the importance of advent, even on the road. I'm starting to see that there is some spritual significance to this particular trip. Now we know that my sister has cancer again and my grandmother is not doing the best either. My 10 year old nephew is feeling a bit adrift and needing a sense of family. Zach and I are his only aunt and uncle and our kids are his only cousins. Thanks to an agreement my sister and exBIL made to avoid each others families on the holidays, he's never had a Christmas with us and never had a Christmas with my parents. Our family really needs to be together.

We are actually going to be starting out our trip on a Holy Day of Obligation, so we are going to go to mass at 6:30AM and then leaving from there. I think that will be a nice start to the trip, actually. I think it will get us off on a good foot.

Anne Lee
11-27-11, 7:08pm
Today is the first day of Advent!

I am listening to Handel's Messiah. I will light some candles and do some reflective reading later in the evening.

Stella
11-28-11, 9:19am
That sounds nice Anne Lee! We haven't found the advent wreath yet, but hopefully today. I was planning to start the evening advent ceremonies last night, but it didn't happen.

Tradd
12-6-11, 7:57pm
Stella, have you been able to start the Advent evening things yet?

My Christmas Fast/Advent so far has been very topsy turvey, what with exams, coursework, moving to temp digs soon...

To get relaxed a bit, I've resorted to doing necessary reading for my exam in the bathtub, complete with pencil and post-it notes on the nearby toilet seat, as a hot bath does wonders for me.

Anne Lee
12-6-11, 9:09pm
Tradd, having a deeply sacred time in the midst of upheaval is challenging. But it's a good thing too if we can use our busy-ness and stress as a reminder to continually to orient our thoughts and our intentions back to God.

I've started tracking my advent observances on Joes Goals just to keep me accountable. I've been doing a special observance about every other day. If I want to keep up that pattern, I should get cracking and do one before I go to bed.